Oak Grove Students Hold Car Wash to Support Guatemala Volcano Victims

The student volunteers hold a car wash to raise funds for organizations in Guatemala

FARGO, N.D. — For the past ten years, students from Oak Grove Lutheran School have gone to Guatemala to volunteer with local children.

“The kids just run up to you and you’re just enveloped in this incredible community, and everyone just grows together,” said Carly Benusa, a recent Oak Grove graduate who attended the trip last year.

Last week, Carly and her classmates were halfway on their journey to the Latin American nation when they first heard about the volcano.

“We were pretty bummed because we were all very excited. I’ve only been out of the country once, so I was really excited to go back and see the kids again and I miss them so much and I wanted to be there,” said Benusa.

But once they realized the magnitude of destruction, the students knew they had to act.

“We all kind of put our heads together and said what can we do to help here in Fargo, you know, kind of the idea of bloom where you’re planted,” said Benusa.

In order to help the kids in Guatemala, students at Oak Grove High School rolled up their sleeves, grabbed some sponges, got a little dirty, and cleaned up some cars.

Dozens of cars rolled up to Oak Grove Elementary, and volunteers cleaned every last speck of dirt off those vehicles, all to make a difference for their Guatemalan friends.

“I think that everyone has the same common goal of let’s do the most good that we can with the resources, time, and energy that we have and I think with that, we are really a well–working machine,” said Elena Linster, a senior at Oak Grove.

Staff at Oak Grove are impressed with how the students carry themselves.

“Well they’ve been incredible and are incredible. They have just been absolutely committed to this and I know some of the students have put in tons of hours preparing for this, and it’s just been a really special thing to be a part of,” said Bob Noel, the Director of Service Leadership at Oak Grove.

The students are also collecting donations to aid the victims in Guatemala. If you would like to contribute, visit any Bell Bank location and donate to the Oak Grove Lutheran School Guatemala Fundraiser Account. All proceeds will be given to Project Genesis and volcano relief efforts.